State Highlights: Massachusetts Bill Would Give Consumers More Control Over Personal Health Information; N.Y. City Council OKs Measure To Quash Future Illness Outbreaks

The Boston Globe:
State Bill Pushes For More Medical Privacy
Massachusetts is considering a bill that would give consumers more control over who sees the insurance forms that list their personal health information. If the bill passes, Massachusetts would join four states — California, Colorado, Maryland, and Oregon — that have passed laws addressing the privacy of insurance forms. (Freyer, 8/14)

The New York Times:
City Council Passes Bill Aimed At Limiting Future Legionnaires’ Outbreaks
With New York City’s largest ever outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease apparently waning, the City Council passed a bill on Thursday intended to thwart future spread of the illness. The legislation, which was developed by Mayor Bill de Blasio; the Council speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito; and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, requires building owners to conduct quarterly inspections of cooling towers, which have been pinpointed as the source of the outbreak. Owners must provide annual certification that their towers have been inspected, tested, cleaned and disinfected. The legislation also requires building owners to carry out a maintenance plan and to register any cooling towers, or face fines and potential prison time, depending on the severity of the transgression. (Remnick, 8/13)

The Associated Press:
State Officials Tout Efforts To Improve Mental Health Care
A top state official says Iowa is providing better mental health care after an overhaul of the system, though critics question the recent closure of two state-run mental health institutes. Department of Human Services Director Chuck Palmer told an advisory board Wednesday that Iowa’s mental health system was serving more people and providing more modern care. The effort to remake the system began in 2011 and was implemented last year. (8/13)

North Carolina Health News:
Belhaven Mayor Looks For Answers To His Town's Hospital Problem
In a press conference at the General Assembly Wednesday, Belhaven Mayor Paul O’Neal thumped the podium in frustration that Pungo Hospital, located in his town, remains closed after a year. O’Neal was in Raleigh speaking in support of lawmakers who would like to eliminate the state’s certificate of need laws, a complex suite of rules that help state regulators determine the distribution of hospital beds around North Carolina. For months, Republican lawmakers in both chambers of the legislature have been calling for changes to the laws: Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) has indicated his support for doing away with CON altogether. (Hoban, 8/13)

The Associated Press:
Parents Refusing Vaccines For Kids Need Doctor's Signature
Parents in Illinois citing religious objections in refusing to have their children immunized will have to get a doctor's signature confirming they've been informed of the risks. A bill signed into law this month requires parents of children entering kindergarten and grades six and nine to provide a Certificates of Religious Exemption with a health care provider's signature if they opt out of vaccine requirements. (8/13)

The New Jersey Record:
Rowan Grant Will Train Health Workforce In Caring For Elderly
Rowan University has received a federal grant to better prepare New Jersey’s health care workforce to take care of the growing elderly population. The $2.55 million grant will seek new ways to address what has been a persistent problem in the country’s health care system: too few doctors who specialize in taking care of older people. (Diskin, 8/13)

The Boston Globe:
Sunderland Synergy Health Centers Home Under State Investigation
A Synergy Health Centers nursing home in Sunderland, already ranked among the worst in Massachusetts, is being investigated by the state following repeated complaints about patient care. Inspectors from the state Department of Public Health, which oversees nursing homes, spent 12 hours last Thursday at New England Health Center in Western Massachusetts probing a suspected medication error involving two patients, according to a staffer who asked to remain anonymous because the worker was not authorized to speak publicly. (Lazar, 8/14)

The Lincoln Star Journal:
Mother Of Severely Disabled Son Loses Attempt To Get Payments Restored
The mother of a severely autistic and disabled man was dealt a setback this week when she learned a Lancaster County District Court judge dismissed a lawsuit she hoped would restore her position as his private-duty nurse. Dee Shaffer has filed appeals with the state Department of Health and Human Services and lawsuits in district court after the state reneged on a contract allowing her to be paid to take care of her son's medical needs, rather than have him go to a nursing home. Brian Shaffer, 36, needs a special diet, air filters and care to prevent life-threatening allergic reactions. (Young, 8/13)

The Chicago Tribune:
Judge Releases Million-Dollar Inmate To Secure Mental Health Facility
A judge on Thursday ordered an inmate whose medical treatment has cost Cook County taxpayers more than $1 million released to a secure residential treatment facility to receive much-needed mental health care. Unable to post a $5,000 cash bond, he has languished for months in Cook County Jail on a relatively low-level burglary charge as legal wrangling over his case dragged on. Once a promising basketball prospect, the teen from Chicago's West Englewood neighborhood cracked while in custody, swallowing anything he could get his hands on in his cell: screws, needles, a thumbtack, a 4-inch piece of metal, even strips of leather from restraints, according to jail officials. (Schmadeke, 8/13)

The Casper Star Tribune:
Natrona County Leads State In Involuntary Psychiatric Hospitalizations
Nearly a third of Wyoming's involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations originated in Natrona County in the 2015 fiscal year, new data shows. Wyoming judges issued 357 involuntary hospital orders during the 2014-15 fiscal year, which ended June 30. Of those, 112 came from Natrona County. A government committee is studying the issue due to rising costs, increased numbers of involuntary commitments and the process’s variation by county. (Hancock, 8/13)

Politico Pro:
GOP Operative Targets Schwartz’s Medicare Advantage Role
A Republican political operative is launching political broadsides against former Rep. Allyson Schwartz. But he’s not focused on scaring off voters; she’s not running for anything. He’s aiming at her role heading a Medicare Advantage group. Bradley Vasoli, a GOP campaign operative who worked for Schwartz’s unsuccessful opponent back in 2006, Thursday launched a “Beware BMA” campaign to criticize Schwartz and the Better Medicare Alliance, which appointed her president in April. (Mershon, 8/13)

The Associated Press:
Salt Lake City Airport Facing Challenges Over New Smoking Rooms
Salt Lake City International Airport already has five smoking rooms between its three terminals, but the airport plans to replace them over time with one master terminal that would include two smoking rooms. Anti-smoking groups say the rooms are a public health risk to travelers, but airport officials contend they allow the airport to contain secondhand smoke. (8/13)

This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.